Treasure Medicine, Ascend the Mountain

"Although Black Wind Stronghold is a den of tigers and wolves, as long as I am alive, I will definitely bring you all back!"

Master Huang spoke up once more.

"This matter is perilous; those willing to go will receive a reward of three hundred taels!"

At this moment, Zhou Wen also suddenly spoke.

"Master, that will not do! We have already received the grace of the Zhou Family; how could we be such ungrateful wretches?"

"We are willing to go through fire and water for the Zhou Family!"

The crowd immediately expressed their willingness to go.

With a great master of the Transformation Realm like Master Huang leading the team, as long as they were careful, they might not necessarily be in real danger.

"Martial arts is not just about bitter training; it also requires real combat to temper one's courage. I will go!"

Wang Chao stated directly.

"Indeed, without the tempering of blood, one can never become a true martial arts powerhouse!"

Chen Zheng also nodded in agreement.

In addition to them, Sun Hui, Li Ping, and Wu Hai—the three older practitioners of the Dark Energy realm—as well as Zheng Zhiping, Ma Rupeng, and Tian Tao, who had only broken through a couple of days ago, all made their stance clear: they were willing to take the risk and make a trip to Black Cloud Stronghold.

"How much time do we have to prepare?"

At this point, Cao Yang suddenly asked.

"How much time do you need?"

Zhou Wen pondered for a moment before asking in return.

"Three days will suffice!"

Cao Yang said with a confident smile, "By then, we will have two Transformation Realm experts!"

"What... did I hear that right? Does he mean he can break into the Transformation Realm within three days?"

As Cao Yang's words fell, everyone couldn't help but freeze, looking at him in disbelief.

Although he did indeed possess excellent natural talent and was a true top-tier genius, and the Zhou Family had spared no cost in piling resources upon him, surely he couldn't break through to the Transformation Realm in a mere three days?

"How certain are you?"

Master Huang looked at Cao Yang with a look of astonishment and asked.

"Ten parts out of ten!"

Cao Yang replied with absolute certainty.

"Good, then we shall wait three days for you!"

Zhou Wen nodded with a hint of joy in his eyes.

He only needed to send people to Black Cloud Stronghold to stall for time; securing three days should be no problem.

By then, with two Transformation Realm experts taking action, the hope of rescuing his second brother would surely be much greater.

"Master Huang, Cao Yang, whoever among you manages to rescue my second brother will not only receive a reward of five hundred taels, but I will also bring out a Century-Old Blood Ginseng, a treasure the Zhou Family has kept for many years, to express my gratitude!"

Zhou Wen looked at Master Huang and Cao Yang, speaking with a solemn expression.

Once these words were spoken, both Master Huang and Cao Yang couldn't help but reveal a glimmer of burning desire in their eyes.

A Century-Old Blood Ginseng—this was a true medicinal treasure!

Even in the black market, it was priceless and impossible to find.

If one were to appear, it would be impossible to acquire for less than three to five thousand taels.

This Century-Old Blood Ginseng not only had the miraculous effect of nourishing the flesh and stimulating blood energy, but it could also mend one's foundation and even ignite latent potential; its medicinal power was extremely astonishing.

The reason medicinal treasures were so precious and hard to find was not only because of their potent effects, but also because they were exceedingly rare.

True medicinal treasures were natural wonders nurtured by heaven and earth; not only did they almost exclusively exist in deep, dangerous mountains where human footprints were rare, but they were also often guarded by exotic beasts far more ferocious than ordinary tigers or leopards. Even a great master of the Transformation Realm might not be able to contend with them.

Even if some daring herb collectors were willing to risk entering the mountains to search for them and were lucky enough to find one, the final result was most likely that they had traveled thousands of miles only to deliver a meal to an exotic beast.

Therefore, it could be said that every time a medicinal treasure appeared in the world, it was often stained with the blood of countless herb collectors.

In short, both Master Huang and Cao Yang were determined to obtain this Century-Old Blood Ginseng.

Without this Century-Old Blood Ginseng, even if they went to Black Cloud Stronghold, they might only do their best to rescue the Zhou Family's second master, Zhou Wu, while ensuring their own safety, and would not easily risk their lives.

But now, with the incentive of this Century-Old Blood Ginseng, they would definitely go all out; even if there was only a glimmer of hope, they would fight with their lives to bring Zhou Wu back.

Seeking advantages and avoiding harm is human nature.

It was precisely because Zhou Wen understood this that he was willing to bring out this Century-Old Blood Ginseng.

"It is a pity that we cannot break through to the Transformation Realm within three days!"

Wang Chao, Chen Zheng, and the others couldn't help but shake their heads and sigh.

Although they also desperately wanted this Century-Old Blood Ginseng, they could not possibly compete with Master Huang, who was already in the Transformation Realm, or Cao Yang, who was about to break through.

"Why is it that I am not even at the Dark Energy realm yet?"

Zhang Feng and those who only possessed Ming Jin cultivation were filled with immense regret at this moment.

The Century-Old Blood Ginseng was one thing, but they were now going to miss out on the three hundred taels of reward money as well.

"Century-Old Blood Ginseng!"

At this, Lu Yuan could not help but feel his gaze flicker.

If it were merely a five-hundred-tael reward, he might not have risked competing for it.

But for the sake of this Century-Old Blood Ginseng, he had no choice but to vie for it.

If he could obtain this Century-Old Blood Ginseng and find a better internal cultivation method, it was not impossible for him to successfully enter the ranks before the martial examinations began.

Although Lu Yuan could not break through to Hua Jin within three days, he could certainly cultivate his Gale Steps to perfection in that time.

Relying on the perfected Gale Steps, combined with his blood energy, which was far more robust and abundant than that of an average An Jin practitioner, as well as his already perfected Wind-Breaking Blade Technique and Flick Finger Technique, he was not only capable of self-preservation but also had a great chance of rescuing the Second Master of the Zhou Family.

However, to be safer, besides bringing enough iron pellets, he needed to acquire some better items to prepare for any unforeseen needs.

Over the next three days, apart from maintaining his thrice-daily practice of the Five Animals Fist, Lu Yuan spent most of his time cultivating the Gale Steps.

[Gale Steps: Perfected (Not yet broken through: 1%)]

Finally, just before nightfall, Lu Yuan successfully cultivated the Gale Steps to perfection.

After that, aside from continuing to practice the Five Animals Fist to nourish and temper his blood energy, he could devote almost all his remaining time and energy to the Blazing Sun Sword Technique.

After drinking a portion of Essence-Replenishing Soup and Qi-Replenishing Soup in succession, Lu Yuan did not continue training and turned in early.

He needed to conserve his energy and sharpen his spirit in preparation for tomorrow's trip to Black Cloud Stronghold.

As for the necessary preparations, Lu Yuan had already seen to them.

Although he had yet to break through to Hua Jin, with his various trump cards, he had enough confidence to face a true Hua Jin expert.

Under unexpected circumstances, he might even be able to slay a high-level Hua Jin master.

Of course, his goal for tomorrow was not to kill a Hua Jin expert, but to rescue the Second Master of the Zhou Family and secure that Century-Old Blood Ginseng.

The next day, early morning.

Just as the horizon began to turn a pale grey, the group galloped toward the outskirts of the city.

There were eleven people in total; besides Master Huang, a high-level Hua Jin expert, there was also Cao Yang, who had just broken through to Hua Jin.

As for the remaining nine, including Lu Yuan, Wang Chao, and Chen Zheng, they were all, without exception, at the An Jin level.

One must know that even at the An Jin level, one could already be considered a true expert in Qinghe County.

With nine An Jin experts and two high-level Hua Jin experts leading the way, this team could go almost anywhere.

However, since their destination was the Black Cloud Stronghold—a veritable den of tigers and wolves—everyone could not help but feel a sense of trepidation.

"Everyone, stay close behind me and Cao Yang. Remember, do not act alone!"

Upon arriving at the foot of the mountain where Black Cloud Stronghold was located, Master Huang simply gave this instruction to the group before charging up the mountain at high speed.

The others did not hesitate and followed closely behind.